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The Turabo Declaration and the Engineering Education Capability Maturity Model: LACCEI initiatives to improve Latin American and Caribbean engineering program accreditation and recognition

Abstract

The Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI) is a non- profit organization formed by institutions seeking to improve collaborations with and recognition of engineering programs in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Two LACCEI initiatives seek to improve international recognition of Latin America and Caribbean engineering programs by increasing the number that attains internationally recognized accreditation. In 2004, the Accreditation Committee of LACCEI proposed a five-level model for educational program process assessment that measures the capability of an engineering education program to achieve repeatable results. This model, called the Engineering Education Capability Maturity Model, could be used as a blueprint for engineering programs to move systematically towards program accreditation, a program ranked level three has documented they produce “competent” engineers, one that attains level five produces “competitive” engineers. In 2006, LACCEI and the Organization of American States co-sponsored a workshop to formulate strategies to increase the number of accredited LAC engineering programs. In this workshop, the accrediting agencies that have signed the Washington Accord and have assessed programs in this region, regional engineering educational organizations, and engineering deans formed round tables to discuss regional challenges and strategies. The results, captured in a document called The Turabo Declaration, are discussed in this paper. LACCEI initiated an accord, called the Engineering Collaboration for the Americas, signed by six multinational organizations to advance and implement LAC engineering education initiatives. This paper disseminates and seeks feedback on the models and strategies evolving from these initiatives.

Introduction

Mobility in this global economy requires either the international recognition of engineering degrees, or undergoing an evaluation to deem the degree equivalent to an accredited degree. In the context of this paper, an accredited degree program is defined as one that has attained the approval of an internationally-recognized, national or extra-national quality assurance system that is independent from the system that offers the program and to which the degree granting system has voluntarily submitted the program for review.

Accords and agreements are allowing recognition of engineering degrees beyond national boundaries. Europe formed the Fédération Européene d'Associations Nationales d'Ingénieurs (FEANI) in 1951 to start standardizing the European Engineer (EUR ING) degree. In the Americas, the American Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) signed an agreement in 1979 to mutually recognized

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Larrondo Petrie, M. M., & Sankat, C., & Loran, R. (2007, June), The Turabo Declaration And The Engineering Education Capability Maturity Model: Laccei Initiatives To Improve Latin American And Caribbean Engineering Program Accreditation And Recognition Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--1796